My Mother Told Me
by MeantforMore
Summary: Before, he only wanted to be her friend, and she wanted out of her life. After, he knew what it felt like to lose her, but she only cared about finding out who she was.
1. Chapter 1

My body echoed with the vibrations of his words. One look at his face told me everything that I needed to know, and that was that he was truly leaving to go back home. I knew it would come, but I wasn't exactly expecting it right now. Not after I had just had one of the greatest nights of my life, and truly felt like I belonged for the first time in well ever.

He threw his hands up in the air, and let out a loud breath. "You don't need anymore Isabella." His voice laced with disdain and loathing. I had never had him talk to me like that before or even say my full name.

"But I do." I cried reaching for him, but he stepped back. He shook his head at me, and for the first time since he said he was leaving, I looked into his eyes.

There was sadness and a hint of anger, but mostly longing. He wanted to go back home; he hadn't seen his parents in weeks. I felt utterly selfish at the moment because the only reason he had stayed was for me. I kept him away from everything he loved.

"You're right." I sighed in defeat. "You don't belong here, and I was only kidding myself thinking you loved it as much as I did." He looked torn between comforting me, and leaving out the door. He sighed before going to the door, but he casted one last glance in my direction before he exited.

I collapsed in a heap on the first step. This wasn't how it was supposed to be; it shouldn't hurt this much for me to leave. I didn't realize someone else was in the room with me until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up into the tear filled eyes of my father; he gestured his head to the door.

"You love him and that boy loves you too. You need to say these things while you still can because you never know when life is going to throw you a curve ball you can't handle." I sniffed and a small giggle emitted from my mouth. My father couldn't help but compare life to sports. "Are you fully prepared to let that boy leave your life forever? You don't have to date Jacob because you think it'll make me happy. I can tell you don't have any feelings for him, but that boy who left my front door ten minutes ago he is what you need. Go get him and don't you worry about me." He kissed my temple before gently squeezing my shoulders. He then pushed himself up, and trekked up the stairs. I stared at him dumbfounded. He turned around as if feeling my curious eyes on his back. "I may not be man of many words Isabella, but I do see things." I gave him a watery smile before hopping off the step, and pulling open the door. I ran out of the townhouse, and whistle for a passing taxi. The taxi stopped at the curb, and I dashed to get inside.

I slid inside with ease and closed the door. "I need to get to JFK." The driver must've sensed my urgency for he immediately put his foot on the gas. We took off down the street.  
I only hoped I could get to JFK before he left. My dad was totally right, I needed to confess my feelings before he found someone better and with less baggage.

I chewed my lip nervously as we drove through the city. I watched all of the buildings pass, and I couldn't even bring myself to care. When I first arrived, I was completely enamored with the city, but now my only concern was getting to someone who could potentially be the love of my life.

The driver finally pulled up to the Delta Airlines terminals, and I was off. I only hoped he didn't have that much of a head start on me.

I had my ticket that we had gotten weeks ago before I knew if I was staying permanently or not. I got my passport and ticket out. The plane was taking off in twenty minutes, and if I wasn't careful I was going to miss him. I tried to get through the airport as quickly as I could, but for six something at night the airport was packed.

Once I was cleared through security I walked as quickly as I possibly could to the correct gate. 'Please let him still be here.' I prayed.  
This was in the hands of fate now.


	2. Chapter 2

Before

My name is Isabella Marie Dwyer. My mother had never married my father, and had literally married my stepfather three months after I was born. I had never met my father; Phil required me to call him Dad. When I was little he was my Daddy, but as I grew I realized he wasn't. I wasn't his kid; I was his wife's and some other man he didn't even know.

I questioned my mother constantly about who my real father is, but she avoided the topic like the plague. She would say was Phil, which we both knew was a lie. I don't know who was more frustrated in the end her or me. We had eventually come to an unspoken agreement that we would never mention him.

My life wasn't as perfect as it seemed, and all I ever looked forward to was school, dance, and piano. School was my salvation because it got me out of the house for most of the day except in summer when I had to find some other way to occupy the majority of my time whether it be through softball or spending summer at a nice, long camp away from the craziness that was my mother and her family.

I only had one real friend while the others pretended to like me because of my stepfather's money. I honestly never gave a shit about money; when I was younger I thought it was what people needed to be successful. I learned as I got older that it couldn't be possibly true especially after meeting Edward. His father was a big time doctor, and his mother was an interior decorator with her own firm, but he didn't act like all of the other kids at our school. He didn't move to Beverley Hills until fifth grade, and I saw how different he was. His family wasn't like my own, and for the first time in my life I wished I was different. His mother actually dropped him off everyday at school, and always whispered something in his ear that caused his ears to burn red. I found it endearing while he thought it was embarrassing.

I didn't actually talk with him in the beginning because he was the new kid, and I listened to all my friends. They sneered at him in disgust, and on the playground showed how they dominated over everyone. Rich kids are probably the worst because they especially hate outsiders, or anyone who could rival the amount of money they had.

Edward never seemed to care how he looked. He wore jeans and t-shirts to school with a black pair of scuffed chucks. I admired him for his small act of defiance. It was probably why none of my friends showed interest him.

One day I was stuck walking home because my nanny "forgot" to pick me up again. She was always with a man, and I swore she had been with my stepfather at least once with the hidden glances they sent to one another.

The air was humid, and the sun beat down on me as I trudged home. Sweat dripped down my face, and my jeans stuck to my legs while I could feel sweat stains on my shirt. My hair kept sticking to my face or my neck making me sweat even more than I already was. I removed my hair tie from my wrist, but when I stretched it to put my hair back it snapped. I sighed, my day was getting better and better. I had already been late to school, my mom had thrown away my homework, and my teacher called me a liar. Now I was stuck walking thirty minutes to my parents' oversized house on one of the hottest days of summer.

"Bella!" Someone called behind me, but I ignored it and continued walking. I was already embarrassed enough for one day. "Wait Bella!" The voice was persistent, but I didn't need anyone to see me like this. A few minutes passed, and I no longer heard the voice; I found myself sighing in relief. A hand suddenly touched my shoulder, and I screamed in fright. The hand clamped over my mouth, my eyes widened dramatically as I thought that this was the end. I hadn't even made anything of myself before I died. The strange thing was when the hand removed itself from my mouth, and the voice from earlier spoke.

"I've been trying to catch up to you for the past ten minutes." It was a boy's voice that much I could tell. I turned my body to face him, and gasped in shock. In front of me was the boy who had controlled my thoughts for the past month. He was featured in all of my daydreams and dreams.

His hair reflected blonde and red in the sunlight, and it stuck out in every direction. Most of the boys I knew always had their hair gelled back, and had boring hair colors.

He had sweat dripping down the sides of his face, but he didn't even seem to notice. His attention was focused solely on me, and I realized he was waiting for me to speak.

I blushed a dark shade of scarlet as I stumbled through my words. "I uh well you see…" I felt my face heat up even more as I tried to gain control over my speech. "I'm sorry. I didn't want anyone to see me." I was shocked that I admitted that to him.

"You look like a kid." He shrugged, and I giggled. He made everything sound so simple. "Now your friends on the other hand, well they act like mini adults. That one kid Mike is a real jerk." I knew exactly what he meant after all Mike kept claiming I was going to be his girlfriend one day, as if.

"So you walk home?" He nodded his head. "Why?"

"I love the fresh air. We used to live in Napa, and it was amazing. We ran our own vineyard and everything. My dad got a grant for research at a nearby hospital, and I was forced to leave everything behind." I had always lived in the city so I really didn't understand the concept of "fresh air". I told him so as well, and he described to me what it was like where he was from.

He owned his own horse who was being taken care of by family who moved into their house. He named his horse Snickers because he believed when he was younger that his horse laughed at him.

"You're insane." I laughed so hard I was in stitches. He merely chuckled at me, and we continued walking. It wasn't as terrible anymore when I was walking home with company.

"Have you always lived here?" He asked me, I nodded desperately wishing I could give him a different answer.

"Yea, I've never been anywhere else. I mean it's the only home I've ever known." He seemed to understand that, and we moved onto another subject. "Do you have any siblings?"

"Yes, I have a little brother Emmett, he's four." I aw'd because I had a little sister.

"Her name is Rosalie, and she is super annoying." He listened to me blab on and on about my family, but he never stopped me. I kept finding new things to say because I was worried about when we were done walking. I didn't want whatever this was to end, and I hoped he felt the same way. "I never had someone I could talk to before. Everyone around here as I'm sure you've no doubt noticed passes judgement. Mike and Jessica are probably the worst though. They practically run the school, and I'm sorry they've made you feel like you're not welcome. I honestly don't know why I'm friends with them. Our mothers are friends in the loosest sense of the word, and I guess I clung onto them because I had no one else." I felt like a follower, and that day I slowly but surely started to break free from the chains that bound me. Edward and I parted ways when he was forced to go one way and I the other. We promised to walk home together the next day; it was one of the first times in my life that I had actually looked forward to going to school. He made life better, and so everyday after that we walked home together, which turned into walking to school together as well. We began hanging out on weekends and every day after school.

He became my best friend and confidant. He never told the other kids what I said, and he never spoke bad about me. It is/was a rare combination to find in somebody living in The Hills. He was becoming someone irreplaceable in my life.

The greatest part was he didn't like my stepfather either; every time Phil came into my bedroom to "check" up on us, he and Edward constantly glared at each other. I wasn't sure what was going there so I chose to ignore it. I figured it wasn't any of my business.

"What is the capitol of Virginia?" I checked over my list to make sure I knew the answer. We were going over the states and capitols in school, and had a big quiz on all of them coming up.

"Richmond." He answered smoothly and without hesitance. I frowned at him because he was much better at remembering things than I was.

I sighed with disappointment. It's not that I didn't want him to get them right, but he always seemed to do everything effortlessly. "Correct again," I muttered, and he smiled gloatingly. I poked my tongue at him causing the room to fill with his loud laughter. I pushed myself into a sitting position and crossed my arms. He continued rolling over my bedroom floor while his body shakes with laughter. "It isn't funny." I said petulantly. He finally calmed down, but I could tell by the glint in his eye, he was never going to let this go.

"Bellsy, you'll get them all before the quiz. You're one of the smartest kids in our class. If you can't do it, the other kids don't even stand a chance." I beamed at him. The boy loved to praise me with his words. "All we have to do is study a little more. You have thirty of them now so only twenty more to go." He was hopeful, and that was one of his more valued qualities. He always saw the glass as half full and not empty. "You think I would let my best friend fail this quiz?" He nudged my shoulder, and I shook my head. We went back to work studying except this time he was in possession of the quiz.

"What is the capitol of Arkansas?" I scrunched up y face as I tried to think really hard about it. "Don't over think it, try to picture the list in your mind." I thought back to the list the teacher handed us two days ago. Arkansas was number four on the list.

"Little Rock," I exclaimed loudly. Edward applauded me on a job well done. "Thanks," I murmured. No one had ever cared this much about my education before including my "so called" parents. My mom always told me to marry rich, and I would never have to worry about having a job or going to college. She said, "Look at me, I've never been to college, and I've got two daughters, a wonderful husband, and we live in a nice home." I mentally snorted at her words.

"No problem, okay let's see," he muttered as he looked over the list for the next state. "Ooh I know, Florida," I knew this, and it was all thanks to him.

"Tallahassee," I stared with a little more exuberance. We went through the whole list in less than five minutes, and I could tell he was impressed with my memorization skills.

"I told you, you could do it." He boasted for about the millionth time. I playfully rolled my eyes at him, and he pretended to be annoyed. I saw a hint of a smile touch his lips though. "You don't give yourself enough credit. Well, my mom is here so I'll see you tomorrow." We briefly hugged before I opened up the door. The night sky didn't show a star in sight. I had never seen a real one before, but Edward described them as beautiful. He said they were like a miracle in the sky put there by God himself. I didn't know what to say to that as I had never been much of a believer in God, but I think that mostly had to do with my mother.

The streets were dead silent, and only the sounds of Edward's footsteps, and the engine to his mother's Mercedes could be heard. I waved to her and she returned the gesture.

I watched mother and son drive off into the night. I went back inside, and went straight to my bedroom.

It was Saturday night, and I was going to her early. It was always fun studying with Edward, and I know mostly people don't relate fun and studying together, but somehow I never thought of it as studying.

That Sunday, I attended church for the the first time with Edward and his family. I made sure to wear a knee length sun dress layered with a white sweater, and blue sandals. My hair was worn down in waves, and I wore the cross that Edward had given me a few months before. He was a devout believer in God and Jesus Christ, which isn't something that is found all that often in The Hills. People in The Hills had committed every sin possible, and never showed remorse or regret towards their decisions, at least not in the public eye.

Attending church for the first time was definitely different from my normal Sunday routine of going down to the club with my family for brunch.

Edward's mother Esme wasn't like all the other women I had seen my entire childhood. She didn't have fake boobs, and her skin glowed naturally as if she spent time in the sun. Her hair was a light shade of brown with a few natural blonde highlights around her temple. She had the same green eyes as Edward, and she always had a genuine smile plastered on her face. It was something I always looked forward to seeing because my mother never showed any happiness when I was around. She dressed modestly, meaning her shirts didn't show as much cleavage as possible, her skirts weren't up her ass crack, and her shoes weren't six inches off the ground. She wore a light blue blouse, with a white pantsuit. She wore white four inch heels, pearl earrings, and her hair was tied back into a bun.

His father the elusive Dr. Cullen who I hadn't met until that day resembled his son. They both had a strong jaw line, the same long nose, and the same full pink lips. His hair was t wild like his sons though, and was neatly combed back. He was also a dirty blonde, and had an intellectual look about him that you didn't see too often from the people around here. He wore a white button up shirt, khakis, and a nice pair of dress shoes.

Their car wasn't flashy, and I liked them a little more just for that reason. They were down to earth people; he told me that his mother always donated two items when she bought something new. She didn't really like shopping unless it was for her kids.

I was fascinated with the preacher's sermon; I could honestly say at the end of it that I believed in God. There was no way that a person could be that passionate about something that wasn't real. He read several scriptures from The Bible that I couldn't remember because I had never even seen a bible before let alone read one. When he discussed a direct relationship with God through baptism with the Holy Spirt, I found myself enraptured.

Edward was gently snoozing beside me, and I elbowed him to wake up. He was groggy and flashed me a dirty look. I didn't particularly care because this was important. Faith should come before sleep at least that is what I believed.

I started attending church with the Cullens every Sunday, and every Wednesday I went to youth with Edward. I was opening myself up to God because I believed in salvation, and that he truly forgives us for our sins.

The day Edward Cullen decided to walk home with me was the day he completely changed the course of my life. He made me question everything I once thought was true including the topic of my father.


	3. Chapter 3

Present

Three Months Prior

I had been restless for the past few months after I discovered what a list my mother was. She had betrayed me in the worst way possible; she was never going to own up to her failings as a mother, and I didn't want her to.

To me, she was only Rosalie's mother. Rose was ten, and an even bigger pain in the butt. She was spoiled by our mother and Phil constantly. They never used the word 'no' when it concerned their precious little angel. I wished she would wake up and see the world for what it is. She may have had golden blonde hair, those innocent blue eyes, and the face of an angel, but beauty can only get you so far in life.

Edward was still my best friend and confidant. Our relationship hasn't really changed all that much since fifth grade except that we couldn't have sleepovers anymore. I don't know what our parents expected us to do; he was like my brother, and I was like a sister to him.

I still attended church every Sunday with his family, and I was a valued member of the church. I went to church camp every summer, and church kids are probably ten times wilder than regular kids. They weren't into drugs or anything of that nature, but they know how to party. They pushed the boundaries, but they knew when they had to back off. We dressed somewhat modestly at church camp especially when it came to our swimsuits. We could only wear one pieces or tankinis because we didn't want to have temptation.

After fifth grade, I dropped all of my old friends like a hot potato, and made new ones. Emily and Leah who went to the same church were going to the same school as Edward and I and we became the three amigos. When I wasn't with Edward I was with them. I avoided being at home as much as possible.

High school was when everything started to change, and Phil practically made me a prisoner inside the house. I only four hours of phone use a week, and I could only a thousand text messages a month. The gate had a password, which I couldn't know. There were cameras hidden all over the house except in bedrooms and bathrooms. The worst was when my mother and Phil told me I was no longer allowed to leave the house unless it was for dance, piano, or school.

Edward knew something was up, but whenever he tried to bring it up, I always changed the subject. He didn't needed to be encumbered by my personal problems. Which brings me back to the day I found my birth certificate in my mom's filing cabinet. She put down on my birth certificate that my father's name was Charlie Swan; there were even papers for a DNA test that proved he was. She had papers that would have relinquished his rights of me, but apparently he refused to sign it. I was confused because my whole life she had convinced me that m father had wanted nothing to with me. Obviously, I shouldn't have believed her.

I quickly glanced out the hallway, and gathered everything and stuffed it in my backpack. I rushed to my bedroom to see what I could make of this new development.

My mother had told me several lies involving my father as I grew up. She told me he was a drunk, a drug addict, jobless, and several other things that could be very believable to young child. Phil never liked that even after everything I still wanted to know who my father was.

Charlie Swan sounded familiar, but I couldn't place where I heard it before. I decided to pull out my laptop, and look him up on the Internet. I pulled up Safari on my laptop, and typed in the google bar Charlie Swan.

Several links came up, and I discovered that he was a successful businessman in Manhattan. He was on the Forbes' 100 list for almost twenty years now with a net worth of over 700 million dollars. He started his company when he was twenty years old, and he resided in New York City. From what I could tell he had been happily married for fourteen years to a beautiful woman named Sue. She was the antithesis of my mother, and I was starting to wonder how my parents had met. My mother was shallow and selfish, and Charlie based on his looks and profile was a hard working man who had earned every penny he had.

I knew as I stared at the picture of Charlie that he was my father for there were several features I inherited from him. We both had the same blue eyes, and his hair although peppered with grey was dark brown like mine. I knew the reddish tint had come from my mother since she had more auburn colored hair. We had the same nose except his was bigger than mine. I wondered why Renee kept me when it was obviously clear that she wanted nothing to do with me; Charlie would've probably taken me, at least that is what I hoped. He probably doesn't even know where I am, I thought bitterly.

I was confused as to what to do with any of it. Charlie was relatively a stranger, and I didn't how he would react to meeting me.

I heard the garage doors and immediately began hiding all of the paperwork I had stolen from Renee's office. I wasn't sure who was home yet, so I settled my body on my bed and pretended to be immersed in my computer. The truth was my body was on a live wire as I nervously awaited for whoever it was to come check on me. They always did.

I sighed in relief when Renee poked her head in because I wasn't ready to deal with Phil drama. He had been on my case constantly, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why.

"Isabella," my mother greeted curtly. We didn't have a strong relationship. Her eyes then narrowed on something on my usually tidy bedroom floor. Before I could do anything she hurled herself across my bedroom and snatched up the paper. Her face paled when she realized what it was, and then her entire demeanor changed. She was livid with her nostrils flaring like she's a dragon about to breathe fire. Her body was tense as she stared me down.

"What is this?" She growled at me. I flinched because I had never seen her this worried or scared before.

I decided to stand my ground; I slid off my bed and stood up in front of her. I was a good four inches taller than her, therefore by principle making me more intimidating well at least in my mind. My body vibrated with my anger and resentment; I could have never believed a few years ago that my mother could be so cruel.

Now though, I knew she had always been that way. "That," I said coldly, "is proof of your lies and manipulations. I'm not your little bitch who can you tell to sit and it will. I have feelings and I can't believe you would do this to me. If you didn't want me why didn't you just send me to m father." She straightened her shoulders, and there was an evil glint in her eyes.

"Who could ever want you? The truth is your father abandoned us; he didn't want you. He wanted his reputation clean, and having a little bastard child could definitely affect his relationship with his investors and colleagues. He paid me to get out of his life, and Phil saved us." We both knew she was lying. She had to be.

"You're lying." I said through clenched teeth.

Her smile widened, and for the first time I was truly terrified of my mother. She raised her hand, and it came down resulting in the resounding smack. My face hurt, and I could feel all the blood rushing to the right right side of my face where she hit me.

"Stay the fuck out of matters that don't concern you Isabella. You need to join the real world with the rest of us. It's a hard and cruel world out there, and I don't want you hurt." She said in what she probably thought was a soothing voice. I stopped myself from cringing away from her hand when she reached up and gently caressed my cheek. "I only want what's best for you. You're such a pretty girl, and sometimes it's better for women to be naive and foolish." With those parting words, she left my room leaving me confused.

I decided then I had to get away. I couldn't stay with them because I would surely be ruined if I did.


	4. Chapter 4

Before

Edward and I had discovered we had a lot in common including our love of piano. I admitted that at first I hated playing the piano, but grew to love it as time passed on.

Edward had been taking lessons as long as I had, and he wanted to play with me one day. We were in the sixth grade at the time, and I agreed.

So, one day after school I went over to his house with him to play. He wanted me to play first by myself to see how good I was. I blushed and tried to stutter my way out of it, but there was no budging on his side. Edward has always been extremely stubborn and difficult so I finally gave in.

I sat down at the piano, and a familiar song that truly described our relationship popped into my head. I loved the movie Oliver and Company as it had remained one of my favorites throughout my life. I preferred classic Disney to new age Disney.

My fingers began moving of their own accord playing the familiar melody of You and Me (Together). Before I knew I was singing along too into it to even fathom what I was doing.

You and me together we'll be

Forever you'll see

We two can be good company

You and me

Yes, together we two

Together, that's you

Forever with me

We'll always be good company

You and me

Yes, together we'll be

You and me

Together we'll be

Forever, you'll see

We'll always be good company

You and me

Just wait and see

I finished off the song, and Edward began applauding me. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment as I saw his mother in the doorway with a hint of smile on her face. Her eyes were glassy, and her nose a little red. Her cheeks reddened as she caught me staring at her. She quickly scurried away.

I moved my gaze to Edward to notice he wasn't faring any better. He had tracks trailing down his face, and he stood up to cross the room so he could pull me into a gigantic hug.

He murmured into my hair, "you'll always be my best friend as well Bella." I snuggled into his hug, relishing in the warmth I felt.

When he finally pulled back, we hesitantly smiled at one another before he asked me to scoot a little so he could sit. We played together all afternoon, and I it wasn't the first time I wondered if it would always be like this.

He was my first true friend, and I always enjoyed the intimacy of our relationship. His attention was always focused solely on me when we were together. Of course, things began changing as we got older, and girls started noticing him more.

A part of me had an irrational anger at the thought of him being with other girls. The other girls never seemed to notice that he was with me when they tried to talk to him. I became a little bitter about it, and it almost destroyed our friendship.

We barely spoke at all during seventh and eighth grade and part of freshman year.

It wasn't until we bumped into each other one day when we finally had a real conversation.

I had closed my locker after getting out my book and binder for history class. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going since I was listening to my friend Abby ramble on and on about some boy she met at our favorite after school hangout.

"Yea, he even paid for my milkshake." She explained all about his chivalrous side. "He noticed I didn't have an umbrella so he offered to walk me home under his. How sweet is that?" She gushed at the exact moment I bumped into someone who knocked all of my belongings at of my arms. I quickly was on my knees trying to collect all of my possessions before the bell rung. I had never been tardy before, and I wasn't exactly planning on it anytime soon.

"Hey B, I've got to go if I get one more tardy for Mr. Varner, I'm going to have after school detention." I nodded that it was okay.

Whoever I bumped into was helping me collect my possessions off of the floor. My belongings were scattered everywhere, and I sighed.

"You can go to class. No need for us both to be late." I tried dismissing the person, but they brushed me off.

"It's my fault. I was texting my mother, and I didn't notice you because you're so tiny." I harrumphed at him.

"I'm not that small." I attempted to protest even though I knew it was true. I was only 5'2", and I was still really thin and I hadn't exactly developed anything in the chest area.

He snorted and I ignored him. When we had collected all of my things I finally looked up to discover who the mysterious stranger was so I could thank him.

"Edward?" I questioned as he handed me my stuff.

"Yea, do I know you?" I roughly shoved him into the nearest locker, and went on my merry way.

"Asshole," I called back to him when I turned the corner. I could feel his penetrating gaze follow me, but I kept my head up high and continued walking. I was five minutes late to class, earning my first tardy in the process, but even that couldn't wipe off the satisfied smirk on my face. Edward had turned into a real dick when girls finally started to notice him, and he ditched me. Shoving him into a lock felt good even if it was a little aggressive.

That was the first time in over two years that Edward Cullen consumed my thoughts and dreams.


End file.
